EPJ

Final results of magnetic monopole searches
with the MACRO experiment

The MACRO Collaboration

(Received: 15 July 2002 /
Published online: 27 September 2002)

Abstract
We present the final results obtained by the MACRO
experiment in the search for GUT magnetic monopoles in the
penetrating cosmic radiation, for the range
. Several
searches with all the MACRO sub-detectors (i.e. scintillation
counters, limited streamer tubes and nuclear track detectors) were
performed, both in stand alone and combined ways. No
candidates were detected and a
Confidence Level (C.L.) upper limit to the
local magnetic monopole flux was set at the level of
cm
-2 s
-1 sr
-1. This result
is the first experimental limit obtained in direct searches which
is well below the Parker bound in the whole
range in which GUT
magnetic monopoles are expected.